


Naruto - One-Shot Collection

by Gravelight



Category: Naruto
Genre: Drama, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Jealousy, M/M, Mental Abuse, Romance, Shy, bad words, being proud, more tags coming over time, ninja stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-15 03:30:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17521181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gravelight/pseuds/Gravelight
Summary: A small collection of One Shots to the series Naruto.





	1. The mysterious woman

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, the reader is a genin, who isn't in control of the own chakra. The reader is strangly enough about 4 years younger than Kakashi and due to readers problem with the chakra control, the reader got moved to his team. It all happens after Sasuke leaves the village.

'Alright. Let's stop for today.', Kakashi called over to his team.

It was getting dark, the sun setting behind the trees. He had suggested it, that they would continue to train for the weekend, since there was a rather quiet phase of missions at the moment. Most missions which involved traveling were out, so Kakashi decided that it would make more sense to take the time and train. At least.. with the team he had left. Sakura decided to train with Shizune, since Kakashi has not much to offer when it comes around medical knowledge and techniques. And Noriko had to study for the entrance exam for the academy, so she and Iruka-kun weren't here either. The white haired Shinobi was left alone with Naruto, who would rather train than taking a D rank mission, and with you, who still struggled with your chakra control. You've got better since you joined his team, but something seemed off lately. You were less concentrated, nervous and tense. Kakashi was wondering if something bothered your mind..

'Whaaaaaat? Already? Come on, I just got warmed up!', the blonde Genin called out, walking over to his Sensei, as well as you did.

'Well, we can't forget that at any moment a mission could come in and we have to get ready, so we better don't over do in training and take it easy. But if you still feel like training, I could call Yamato-kun over and he will train you until late in the night.', Kakashi said.

Naruto gulped, shaking his head. No, Yamato would make scary faces again and that's something Naruto doesn't wants to see in the dark. Making quite the face himself, you couldn't help yourself but chuckle. you had met Yamato a few times already and knew exactly why Naruto wasn't all happy about the suggestion Kakashi had made just now. But since the day came to an end..

'So.. Will we meet tomorrow at the same time here or what did you planned, Sensei?', you asked, carefully looking to the Jonin.

Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking at both, you and Naruto.

'Well.. if you two don't have stuff to take care of, I would say the same time as today.', he confirmed.

'Cool! How 'bout we go and grab some food at Ichiraku's?', Naruto asked happily in the round.

Kakashi shook his head slightly and you did as well, which left the blonde boy pouting.

'Fine, then I'll grab some Ramen myself!', he mumbled.

'Sorry kid, but I have still some business to take care of.', Kakashi said, slightly smiling at his student, ruffling through the blonde hair.

Naruto pouted even more, but eventuelly said his good bye's and left the group, heading to the village. Kakashi turned around to you. You who seemed to be tense again under his gaze. Sighing Kakashi looked over the training grounds, where he and the original Team 7 started.

'Will you tell me, what is bothering you or do I have to take guesses?', the Jonin asked softly.

'Heh? Bothering me? I.. Why would you think that something is bothering me?', you responded, maybe a little too fast, making yourself even more suspicious. 

Kakashi sighed again, gliding a hand through the mess of his white hair, before taking a solemn look at you.

'You know.. I see you training as if it was the first day. Your chakra control was better before, now it looks like you're back on day one. Something is on your mind and it seems that it bothers you. So, you want to share your thoughts?', he explained, before asking again.

You looked at the Jonin in quite a shock. He really had sharp eyes, huh..? Damn, you didn't thought it was that obvious.. but truth was, you really were bothered by something. Ever since that guy you overheard talking. You layed a hand in your neck, laughing slightly.

'Ah.. you know. I was only bothered by some stray cat in my neighborhood. She's really loud in the night and keeps me awake quite long. I guess I am just a bit exhausted, nothing to worry about.', you lied.

Kakashi didn't buy it, looking quite rigorous now. You lowered your hand, looking to the side. When he stepped forward, you winced. But he simply put a hand on your head, which made you look up to him. The strict face was gone, more softer but also tired eyes looking at you.

'You know, whatever it is, you can talk to me or anyone else in the team. We're here for you, okay?', he explained.

You felt your heart grow heavy. He knew that you just lied and yet he was so kind to you. You felt bad for the lie, but you couldn't just step up and ask him right away, could you? You gave a small nod to his words.

'Okay, now if you excuse me, I still need to take care of some stuff.', he then said.

And in a whirl of leaves, he vanished, leaving the (Y/HC) woman behind. For a moment, you stood there, simply starring at the spot he was standing just a few seconds ago. 

Damn you ninjas and your dirty tricks of vanishing into nothing!, you thought. 

You swore, if you were able to climb walls with only your feet, like they could, then the next thing you would learn was that vanishing stuff. You finally turned around, heading like Naruto before to the village. Maybe.. you would join the blonde one, if he was still there..

\----

The next morning was coming fast and you had quite trouble to find some sleep in the night. After getting home, you layed a long time on your bed, staring at the ceiling and simply think about Kakashi and the mysterious woman. What did the guy said? Kakashi had met her, coincidentally, on the main road of Konoha. They knew each other from before, but she was away for a while, traveling. But she seemed back since a few days and ever since, you had this twisted, weird feeling in your guts. Maybe you should skip training today and instead try to find out more about this..? After all, it was really nagging at you. Leaving your home and locking the door, you walked the stairs down fast, almost running into someone around the corner of the next flight of stairs. Gasping, you took a jump back, crashing into the wall behind you. A warm pair of eyes watched you in shock.

'Oh, I am so sorry! Are you alright?', the brown haired man asked, looking concerned.

You coughed, rubbing your back, but then smiled at him. Hey, you were already hurt worse.. that was nothing, at least you didn't hit your head and back too hard at the wall.

'I'm fine! Nothing to worry about. Sorry for concerning you.', you answered the man.

Now that you got a good look at the mysterious man, you realised that you had never seen him here before. Ash brown hair, grey eyes and a small beauty spot near the corner of his mouth. He wore purple stripes over his eyes, his neck covered by a light brown scarf. His body was wrapped in a greenish coat and he wore a small beige backpack. What a quite strange looking man..

'You don't seem to live here. Are you visiting someone here?', you asked, curious about the stranger.

'Oh, yeah I heard someone quite interesting was living here. I was trying to find out if that someone was maybe still home, otherwise I will have to search all day again in the village.', he explained, laughing lightly.

You tilted your head slightly, making the long (Y/HC) fall over your shoulder. You watched him and wondering who he might mean. Interesting..? As far as you knew there were only two more people living here. The owner of this house and that strange dude who never seemed home, but seemed very strict and apparently teached once the grandson of the Third.. 

'Uhm.. Maybe I can help you? Who are you exactly looking for?', you asked, trying to hide your nervousness.

'Ah.. Well.. I look for a young woman, who apparently is a member of the infamous team of Kakashi Hatake.', he answered.

You paled a bit. He was looking for you? But apparently he didn't know how you looked like. 

'You.. actually resemble of what she apparently looks like. Is it possible that you are (Y/N) (Y/LN)?', he then asked, tilting his head a bit.

Fuck.. You had hoped he wouldn't know what you looked like, so you could have maybe escaped this stranger.. Why would he want to find you? Who was that guy..

'W-Well.. It's quite unfair that you know my name and I don't know yours.', you simply answered, avoiding to really confirm his question.

His face lit up, as if he had just now realised his probably creepy appearence. He layed a hand in his neck, laughing slightly.

'I.. I am sorry. I didn't meant to scare you or creep you out. My name is Sukea and I am a freelance reporter. I travel a lot and came back to Konoha recently. Grabbed some hints of some new member of Kakashi Hatake's team.', he explained.

You slightly relaxed, after hearing his introduction, but you were still wary of him. After all.. Even if he was a reporter or something.. he knew where you lived and he knew your name. 

'Sukea-san.. Why did you try to find me?', you then asked.

Sukea looked thoughtful into the air at your question. Then he gave you a bright smile, that almost blinded you.

'Because maybe you have seen Kakashi-san's face. You have to know.. I am after a good picture of his face since years. The secret he hides under his mask.. When will I finally be able to reveal it?? Oh, the chase is already going on since years~ And never did I managed to see it or take a picture of it. And since he has new students, I wondered if I maybe am lucky enough to find out more.', he answered smiling.

Kakashi's face, huh? Well.. he did mentioned that a lot of people really want to know how he looks like without the mask, counting yourself. But only a very few people knew really. And you were not one of them.

'I am sorry to disappoint you, Sukea-san. But I don't know much either. He is probably even more a mysterious to me than to you..', you answered sighing.

Sukea watched you, seeing that you probably had a mystery to solve yourself. Maybe he could help?

'(Y/N)-san, it seems you are troubled with something about him..', the brownhaired man pointed out.

'You can say that, yeah..', you answered, again sighing. 

'Maybe I can help you? I know quite a lot about Kakashi-san, thanks to my researches about him.', he offered.

You looked up to the brownhaired man, pondering if it was such an good idea. You were thinking of skipping training anyways, but.. No. No but and no excuses. You really needed to know. 

'Hm.. maybe you really can help me. Actually I heard a rumor about him and a woman.', you slowly answered.

'A woman?? Kakashi-san is seeing someone?', Sukea asked directly, leaving no time for more explaination.

'I.. I dunno if he is seeing someone. I just overheard someone talking about it. Someone said, that a woman was back in the village, who used to travel a lot. And Kakashi apparently bumped into her on the street. They apparently have some sort of a past together.', you explained further. 

Sukea made a thinking face, taking your words in and pondering over them. You felt somehow dirty. You had shared some information about Kakashi to a total stranger. You knew that he really appreciated his privacy, but.. god damnit you couldn't help it. You really wanted to know. You needed to know in what connection he stood to that said woman. 

'I think I know of whom you are talking, (Y/N)-san.', Sukea then offered.

You looked surprised and intruiged at the same time. He knew? Sukea gestured to the stairs, offering you to follow him.

'And I think I know where to find her. I am sure she can explain what you were wondering about.', he then added.

'W-Wait what? You want to search her and ask her about it? W-Why?', You asked, confused by the idea.

'You want to know if Kakashi-san is seeing someone, don't you? So the best way to find out is to talk to her or himself.', Sukea said, wondering about your hesistation.

'No no no no! I can not do that! Do you know how embarrassing that is?? Ever thought about it what light would shine on me if I did that?', you spoke, almost panicking.

Sukea raised his hands in defense, almost as if he feared your wrath of embarrassment. Your cheeks flushed red and your eyes wandered to the floor, sighing in defeat. You really wanted to know, but asking them? That was.. just out of question.

'Okay.. I get it. You cannot do that.. Hm.. Guess we will have to do it in a Shinobi Style then.', he then said.

'Eh? What do you mean?', you asked confused.

He really had a thing for confusing you, didn't he? Sukea chuckled and shared a bright smile.

'You're in Kakashi-sans team. If you can't ask himself, why not ask others from the team? People who know him since long.', he suggested.

You blinked, thinking about his words, before tilting your head slightly. Well.. that was actually a quite good idea.. You could try to find out about it from Sakura or Naruto. Or even Iruka-san.. Why didn't you had the idea before??

'Or we could spy on Kakashi-san or the mysterious woman.', the brownhaired man added then bluntly.

'Spying?! On someone like Kakashi? Are you crazy? You do realise that this man is very cautious when it comes to his surroundings..', you said, wondering if he was serious about it.

A laugh escaped him and he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat, looking quite amused. What was so amusing about that? 

'Well, at least you know that already. I quite often tried to follow him in secret, but everytime he escaped me in an instant. So.. you gonna ask your team? May I ask to join you then?', he explained before asking to go with you.

'Well.. I don't know why you are so focused on Kakashi, but.. I guess since you gave me the idea and tried to help me out, I should try to help you as well.. So, okay. You can come, but please leave the talking to me, okay?', you agreed.

Sukea smiled brightly and all happy, nodding to your request to let you talk. He then turned and walked the stairs down, you following behind him. That guy was still a weirdo, but.. at least you would get answers, won't you?

\----

Moments later, after finding out where Sakura was, both of you got to the library. You entered first, looking for the pinkhaired young woman. It wasn't long until you saw her sitting at a table, reading some books. You stepped up, smiling at Sakura, who looked up to see who was coming her way. 

'Oh, he-', she started to greet you, but looked behind and saw the brownhaired man. 

'Sukea-san??', the pinkhaired then blurred out.

You blinked, looking from her to said man, confused and not understanding. Sukea lifted a hand, smiling heartly.

'Hi, Sakura-chan. Long time no see.', he greeted.

'Wait! You know her? Eh?? How??', you asked confused. 

'Oh, Sakura-chan and the rest of her team helped me out a few years back. We tried to find out what Kakashi-san looked like without his mask. But we failed miserably. It was still fun though.', he explained.

Sakura chuckled, while you looked at him in disbelief.

'You could have said that you know her! I was thinking you didn't know who his team was, less did I expect that they know who you are!', you said, sounding a bit.. pouty. 

'Ah.. S-Sorry, I didn't meant to make you angry. It.. probably slipped my mind to tell you.', Sukea excused.

Still looking a bit pouty, with crossed arms and all, you looked over to Sakura, who was still wondering why you two were here. Better yet, she was actually more wondering why you were in company of Sukea. Right.. it must look strange, of course.

'Aaaaanyways.. Sakura-chan. Do you know anything of Kakashi seeing someone lately? I heard rumors that he is seeing someone who recently came back to the village.', you then asked.

Sakura blinked, surprised to hear the rumors, before jumping up from her chair, causing it to fall to the ground and making you to step back.

'What?! Kakashi Sensei is seeing someone??', she asked loud and shocked, causing you to wince. 

People in the library were looking to you three, quite annoyed by the ruckus you guys made. You shushed her down, pressing your finger over your lips. Sakura clapped her hands over her mouth, looking around and giving an apologetic look to the annoyed people. Sukea gave a small chuckle at the sight of the two females. 

'I guess we should consider to talk somewhere, where we won't bother other people. How about the food house, down the street? I heard they still serve these delicious grilled makreles.', the brownhaired man suggested. 

You looked over to him, giving a small nod. Yeah.. if you guys were talking here, you might get in trouble.. You looked back to Sakura, who gave also a small nod. After cleaning her place from all these books, Sakura joined you two outside and all three of you walked down the street, where you arrived at the said food house, minutes later. You went inside, taking a place and sitting down, where someone took your orders. Sakura looked over to Sukea now, interested.

'It is quite a while, since we last saw you. How are you doing?', she asked.

'Oh, yeah. I'm fine, but work keeps me so busy.. It's a shame not being here more often, but that's probably how it is, if you freelance like me. But on the other hand you see quite a lot of interesting people and places. How's the blonde one doing?', he answered, before asking for probably Naruto.

Sakura sighed, looking a bit defeated.

'Still the same idiot as before, but he got stronger and isn't that much of an annoyance than before. Guess he matured a bit. We actually became quite good friends.', Sakura answered, smiling slightly. 

'I understand. And how about the other young man?', he asked, earning a more nostalgic and sad look from the pinkhaired one. 

You listened their conversation, but when you saw Sakura's face.. something in you started to hurt. That face she made.. it was full of sorrow and longing.. 

'Sasuke-kun, he.. wherever he is, I just hope he is doing fine. You have to know, that he left the village..', Sakura explained pained.

Sukea looked surprised. You intervened now.

'He is surely fine, Sakura-chan. Don't worry, we will find him and bring him back, remember you guys got more back up thanks to Noriko-chan and me~', you quickly said.

Sakura gave you a warm smile, which still had something sad in it. None the less, she knew they would be able to bring Sasuke back. The order came shortly after and you three sat in quiet, until Sakura then looked up at you.

'So.. What you said earlier, (Y/N)-chan.. You were talking about a woman?', she asked.

You sighed, explaining shortly what you had told Sukea before. Sakura listened to you, before making a thoughtful face, leaning back in her seat. A woman that came from somewhere after being away for long..? She remembered someone who was quite close to Kakashi, but it was way back to when Sasuke was still a member of the team.

'I kinda remember a woman who was quite close with him. But it is already years ago and no one knows where she went. Kakashi Sensei once had a mission which involved a woman who was accused to be a spy. Apparently she was captured by the ANBU and Kakashi Sensei had to keep an eye on her, when they tried to figure out who she was. Naruto, Sasuke-kun and me were following them through the village, watching them and thinking that they were on a date.', she recalled the memories of the event.

Sukea chuckled slightly, which made both woman looking at him. He blinked, realising that he chuckled, laying a hand into his neck.

'I am sorry, I remember hearing about that. You guys made quite a scene back then.', he explained himself.

Sakura blushed slightly, since they all embarrassed themselfs.

'So.. he is close to that woman? They still see each other?', you asked, trying to hold the bite in your voice off. 

You didn't like what Sakura was saying. It might be long ago, but.. if they were seeing each other to this day.. Your heart pained. If.. if they were dating.. why was he such a flirt to you then? What was with all these teasing little chats you had with him..? Sure, he was older than you, but.. only a few years and despite that.. you two flirted like no tomorrow. If he was dating, why would he do that?

'I honestly don't know. After the case was solved, she disappeared. Kakashi Sensei said, that she would travel around. She came back from time to time, but I don't know if they were seeing each other in that time.', Sakura said, wondering about it.

You stood up, leaving some money on the table.

'I think I don't even wanna know anymore. Thank you Sakura-chan. And sorry, Sukea-san, but I think I have heard enough.', you said, leaving the two behind and leaving the food house. 

Back on the street, you started walking without goal, thinking about what you have heard so far. You seriously weren't one of the jealous type, but.. you really thought his teases and flirts meant something.. And now you had to hear from a stranger, that he probably was already seeing someone.. You really had to consider that he was probably just lonely, while that lady wasn't around, so he started flirting with you out of boredom.. Or to have some fun.

'Stupid Sensei..', you mumbled, quite angry about the thought.

'Who is stupid?', someone suddenly asked next to you.

You almost jumped out of your skin, stumbled to the side and almost crashed into people, if someone didn't grabbed your arm to steady you. You looked up, confused and shocked, seeing Kakashi standing there, still holding your arm.

'Sorry, I didn't wanted to scare you.', he said smiling slightly.

He was the least you just wanted to see now.. Great. He probably was searching you for the training, which you did skipped. You coughed lightly, looking uncomfortable. You knew he would point that out..

'I-It's fine.. I didn't expected to run into you here..', you said shortly.

'I was on my way to the training grounds right now. I am surprised you're not there yet.', he comments.

Ah.. he was late again, wasn't he? Typical for him.. Sighing you simply shrugged.

'I.. had something to take care of.', you said, your voice not as cheerful as it normaly was.

'Hm.. I understand. Say.. care to join me in grabbing a coffee with a small snack or something?', he asked.

You sighed and wanted to decline his offer, but.. your stomach was as always the biggest traitor ever. You didn't eat anything back in the food house, just ordered some tea.. Of course you were hungry.. Kakashi had to chuckle and you simply started to blush.

'Let me invite you. I know just the right place.', he insisted.

You couldn't say no. So you followed after him, silent and in thoughts. You walked next to each other, Kakashi apparently in his own thoughts.

'Kakashi-san!', someone called.

Kakashi came to a stop and turned to the voice, same as you. It was a woman, running up to them. She had dark ash green hair, brown big eyes and was quite pale. She was.. pretty. You watched them carefully.

'Oh, Hanare-san. Is it about time?', Kakashi greeted back, before asking.

The woman came to an halt in front of you two, smiling slightly and nodding. Then she looked over to you and gave a polite bow of greeting, which you hesitantly returned.

'Yes, I was just looking for you, giving my farewells. It was nice to be back in Konoha for once and it was nice to see you and your friends again.', she answered. 

'Well, it's too bad you couldn't stay longer. Make sure you take care of yourself, alright?', Kakashi said smiling at her.

You knew it. She is that mysterious woman.. The one who Kakashi was apparently seeing.. Your heart felt stabbed, shattered and crushed. You had to admit, this woman, Hanare.. she was really pretty. Of course Kakashi had his eyes on her.. Looking down, you tried to surpress the tears that tickled at the corners of your eyes. 

'You too, Kakashi-san. Good bye, see you next time.', she smiled brightly at the white haired man, waving before turning and going her way again.

Kakashi waved after her, turning towards you then and tilting his head, as you were looking quite.. down?

'(Y/N), are you fine?', he asked, worry in his voice.

'..it must be hard to see your girlfriend that rare.. But I am glad you have someone you love. If.. you excuse me, I need to take care of something.', you answered, your voice just above a whisper. 

Before Kakashi had the chance to say anything else, you started running away. He didn't had time to catch your arm, to hold you back, so he was standing there, his hand in the air grabbing nothing. His face took on an unreadable expression and he watched you disappear in the chaos of people. Now he understood. He must have given the wrong impression.. Better he takes care of this, before things got out of hand. In a whirl of leaves, Kakashi vanished into nothing. 

\----

It wasn't hard to find out where you went. You had quite some spots in Konoha, where you went when you were upset. For once there were the stone faces of the previous and present Hokage. But since he knew that you wouldn't be there, out of fear he would try to find you, you probably hid in the forest. And this was probably the hardest part, if he didn't had his dogs. Kakashi summoned his loyal friend Pakkun, explaining that he had to find you and needed the help of the pug. The small dog looked at him, before sighing.

'Did you upset her again, boss?', the dog said.

'I.. What do you mean with again? Pakkun, please. Can we focus on what I asked you?', the whitehaired man said, a bit flustered.

The pug huffed, seemingly being annoyed. But he rose his nose and after just a couple of sniffs, he started to dart off in one direction. Kakashi followed closely behind, still confused by the 'again' from his Ninken. At the same time, you were deep in the darkest part of the forest, sitting in a tree and lost in thoughts. Why were you just so unlucky when it came to love? Truly, the whitehaired man was quite a mystery and sometimes you couldn't read his intentions, but you really thought there was something between you two. Looked like you were wrong.. Sighing you looked up, seeing small spots of the moon through the leafes of the tree. It was foolish enough to fall in love, but even more with a man that was your teacher. God damnit, you were better than that! Enough of this emotional stuff, you needed to get control over your chakra, not to fall in love. As soon as you would be finally able to controll your chakra, you would be out of his team, starting your career by becoming Chunin and maybe even Jonin! You were sure that you wouldn't see him that often anymore, if you had to take care of your own Genin. You stood, ready to jump from the tree, when something caught your attention. Standing still, you listened. There was someone. No.. more than one. You heard footsteps, fast and steady. Two.. no. Three people, if you were not wrong. From your cover in the tree, you tried to pinpoint the location of the steps, only to realise, that they suddenly stopped. You cursed internaly, holding your breath and concentrating on any indicator of sound. Just barely you managed to dodge a Kunai, making you jump from the tree. Now you were facing three Shinobi. But not from the Konoha Village. Their clothes indicated that they must be from the Sound Village. Enemies, here in the forest..

'Look who we found~ A Konoha bitch, alone in the woods and apparently weaponless~', one of them said.

One of the others laughed slightly, amused by the looks of that apparently defenseless woman. Even with the one underestimating you, the others seemed not dumb enough to leave their battle positions.

'Guess we are lucky. Hopefully you have some valuable informations about Konoha.', that one guy said now.

Shit, this wasn't good at all.. You quickly grabbed behind you, into your pocket, grabbing a smoke bomb. Throwing it in front of yourself, the bomb went off and a smoke screen covered everything around. You took the moment, turning around just to run from these people. Sadly, one of the Sound Shinobi was expecting something like that, locating you thanks to your steps quickly in the smoke and throwing a Kunai in your direction. He hit your leg, making you fall over. Grunting in pain, you tried to get up again, only to get kicked in the side. Then a foot stomped on your back, holding you down on the ground.

'Don't try to get away, bitch. You can't escape us.', the man over you said amused.

'You never know if you don't try, asshole!', you hissed.

Why were you so fucking unlucky..?? The pain in your side was heavy and you had a hard time to breath without that pain. That bastard probably broke a rib or two.. One of the mans crouched in front of you, grabbing your (Y/HC) hair and pulling your head up, forcing you to look at that ugly face of him.

'So.. why don't you start talking?', he insisted.

You looked him cold in the eye, before spitting in his face, giving him your answer to that question. The man wasn't happy about it, smashing your head hard down onto the ground, causing you to whine in pain.

'Bitch! You will regret your stubborness!!', he shouted.

'Hey, let her live, we might get some answers from her if we torture her a little.', another one said.

The man who was crouching stood up again, cleaning his face from your spit, before huffing annoyed. He was about to say something, when a blue light hit him from behind with a sound of hundres of birds. The light stopped instantly and the other two man jumped back, shocked and confused. You knew that light. You knew that sound. You could tell who just appeared in the fucking right moment to spare you any more pain. One red glowing eye stared at the two enemies, cold and dangerous. And in an instant, he shot right towards them, taking one down, then the last one. It was a fight of seconds, an instant win for the Jonin who just appeared. You had managed to just sit up, when the fight was over, leaning against a tree. Hot liquid was running down the side of your face, your side burning from pain, which you were holding. Your vision was a bit blurry, but you could see that white hair just perfectly. As the man turned around to you, coming closer, you saw the hard look on his face. He seemed angry.. Angry, but not because of you. It seemed more.. as if he was angry with himself..?

'Hey.. Long time no see~', you joked, your voice low above a whisper.

Kakashi crouched in front of you, sighing, before mumbling a sorry. He then lifted you on his arms, making you inhale sharply and exhale in a hiss. Yeah.. you probably had some broken ribs.. 

'I am in no mood for jokes.. I'll get you to the hospital.', he said, his voice just as hard as his expression.

'Sorry.. I just tried to lighten the mood..', you answered sighing.

Kakashi started to make his way back to the village, fast but careful to not hurt you more. The silence was strong between you two and before you could come up with something, you two were already in the hospital. The nurses took you directly in, taking care of your injuries. Kakashi waited, sending Pakkun to inform the night guards. After a moment, the nurses let him know, that you were taken care of and that he could now see you. Since you got a hard hit on your head, they wanted you to stay there for the night. He went to the room you were stationed in, knocking softly at the door, before entering. You layed in the bed, pouting and not happy with your situation. Obviously because you had to stay.

'You were lucky that I went after you.', Kakashi said, dragging a chair next to your bed and sitting down.

'...even though I don't understand why you would come after me in the first place..', you said, looking to the window, away from him.

'Because I have to clarify something.', he answered.

You didn't said anything to that, still looking away from him. Sighing Kakashi leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees, hands folded.

'(Y/N).. Whatever you heard about Hanare and me, I hope you don't believe that.', he then said solemnly, but you still didn't talked.

'Hanare is simply.. a friend if you want to put it that way. She is not my significant other or anything.', he added.

'Sure. It's fine. You don't have to explain yourself.', you then said, looking to him now.

And there it was. That hurt look in your eyes, which were filled with tears. Kakashi sighed, letting his head hang low. You didn't believed him. Of course you wouldn't.

'Trust me, (Y/N). I don't feel anything for her and never did. These rumors about her being someone meaningful to me, they are all not true. I think Sakura explained it the wrong way..', he said then.

You looked first annoyed by his trying, but then confused when you realised what he had said last. Wait.. What?

'How did you know that Sakura explained anything to me?', you asked, lifting an eyebrow at him.

Kakashi was silent. For a moment you two sat in complete silence, before he sighed deeply, rising his head and giving you an kinda embarrassed look.

'..because.. well.. it's hard to explain and I never actually did explain it to someone else.. So you would be the first to know this.', he started slowly.

You still looked quite confused. The first to know what? What was he about to tell you? Somehow you found yourself being very curious, but at the same time you were scared to know. Kakashi tried to find the right words, before inhaling and exhaling shortly to collect himself.

'You.. met someone named Sukea, right?', he then asked.

Blinking, you gave a short nod.

'Why? Is he a friend of yours and told you about it? Then he was pretty quick in telling.. has he some sort of Mind-Jutsu that informed you?', you asked.

Kakashi was now the one who looked at you blinking, before he had to chuckle, excusing himself for that. He then sighed slightly.

'No, he doesn't have any kind of Jutsu like that. Sukea is.. well.. me.', he then admitted.

'What do you mean you?', you weren't getting it, making Kakashi getting uncomfortable, fidgeting in his chair.

'Well.. I am.. Sukea. He is me in disguise if you want.', he shortly explained. 

You looked at him, confused about what he said, before your eyes went wide and you rapidly sat up, which.. wasn't a brilliant idea. Your rips screamed in protest and you hissed in pain, holding your side. But you still looked at him, now realising what he was explaining.

'You! You fucking tricked me then?? Are you serious?!', you complained.

But then you realised something else. If he was Sukea.. You blushed suddenly, gasping and shutting your mouth closed with one hand. If he was Sukea, than you had seen his face without realising it! 

'..I'm sorry.. I shouldn't have tricked you, but I had to know what was wrong with you a-', he was stopped in his explaination, when you threw your pillow at his face. 

Confusion crept on his face, not understanding the intention behind your action.

'W-What was that for?', he asked strongly confused.

'You are such an idiot! I just wanna punch you right now!', you said, squirming around.

'W-Well somehow I had to understand you?? I sadly can't look into your head, you know!', he defended his case.

'M-Maybe because I didn't wanted you to know, cause I don't know what you would think?!', you then answered.

'Well I wouldn't think anything bad of you, because I respect our bond!', he responded.

'Aha! See- wait.. what? What bond?', you were about to retort, when you realised his words.

Kakashi sighed, defeated by the whole situation. He stood up, just to sit down on the edge of your bed. With one hand, he dragged you closer to his face, while the other hand had dragged his mask down. In one moment, you two were arguring, in the other he had pressed his lips on yours. Kissing you deeply, he took the moment to show you that bond he meant. Seconds later he let go of you, looking into a shocked, flushed red face. Not bothering to put his mask back in place, he watched your expression going from totally stunned, to completely lost in emotions. If the situation wasn't that serious, he would have laughed about that train of feelings on your face. You didn't even knew anymore where up and down was, you were utterly stunned. He.. just kissed you. And showed his face completly brazenly, as if nothing happened. Kakashi took the moment of silent.

'..that bond. I deeply care for you.', he then said, almost whispering.

You were just staring at him, at a complete loss of words. He.. had he.. Did he just confessed to you?! Almost sheepish, Kakashi layed a hand in his neck, looking down, waiting for any kind of response.

'..so.. all that flirts and teases were.. actually hints..?', you managed to finally say, after another moment of silence.

Kakashi almost jumped a bit, at the sudden sound of your voice. But your words send a small flush of pink dust on his face. He nod, looking back up right into your eyes.

'Y-You know.. i-it sounded so easy in books.. but I figured it was a lot harder to take actions. Teasing you or even a small flirt was... all I could do at that moment..', he admitted.

His words about books, made you remember what Naruto once had said. He was reading quite boring stuff, something about true romance and erotic inspired moments. Did he took these books as source for how to deal with his feelings?? That.. was almost cute and made you actually chuckle now.

'You.. you are really an idiot, Kakashi Hatake. But.. what happened back then, that these rumors said that you and this woman.. well you know.', you teased, before asking.

Kakashi grinned slightly at your tease, before sighing, looking ashamed.

'...well.. Hanare was a spy from another village. I was assigned to get some sort of information out of her, since the interrogation section couldn't find anything that was related to her village. I took her through the village and apparently my students had seen me with her. They assumed that we were.. dating. And apparently they followed us through the village. They.. failed at their spying, falling from a tree and landing on us, making me fall on her, kind of kissing her.. Even if it was an accident, it was the perfect moment to use my Sharingan on her, seeing through her. After finding out more about her, she was set free again, since she didn't had any harmful informations about Konoha. She never went back to her village, traveling the world instead and sometimes stopping here as a traveling entertainer. I guess.. that it why these rumors exist..', he explained, sighing heavy in the end. 

You were listening in silence and when he ended, you just looked inexpressively at him. For a moment, he was scared that you might burst. And you did indeed burst. But not in anger, but in laughter. You laughed at him, finding the story incredibly hillarious. 

'Are you kidding me?! That's the true story behind these rumors? And I worried about that all those past days?', you laughed, quite happy that nothing of what you feared was true.

'Well.. you could have simply asked.', Kakashi responded, teasing you a bit.

You gave him a blank expression for that tease, but you were fast back at smiling.

'You are stupid, seriously. So.. what does this now means.. for.. us?', you then asked, blushing a bit.

'Well.. I guess we should find out where this will lead us.. If.. you are willing to try of course..', he answered, also blushing a bit.

'...I think I would want to dare to find out..', you admitted, sheepishly looking at him.

Smiling warmly, Kakashi leaned in, giving your cheek a small peck, before sitting back straight and putting his mask back up.

'Then let's start to find out tomorrow. For now you should rest, specially since you are wounded. I'll come by tomorrow morning again.', he suggested, standing up.

'You have a terrible timing to leave, you know that?', you said, pouting.

'Well.. We both have to think about a lot tonight. See you tomorrow, (Y/N).', he said, smiling slightly at your pouty face.

'Alright.. Don't be too late, otherwise I will rethink about this whole.. stuff.', you then said, making Kakashi laugh.

'I'll try. Good night.', he couldn't promise that, but he would definitely try, since it was you.

'Good night, and thanks for saving me.', you responsed, smiling warmly.

That smile you wore, was the reason why his heart fluttered. You were so gorgeous when you smiled like that.. Leaving the room, you couldn't keep it and squeeked into your pillow, he had put back on the bed. This was really happening, right? He really had confessed, right?? Oh, you couldn't wait for the next day to roll in~


	2. The summer festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are a young woman, who was abused and tortured mentally by your clan for having an mutated kekkai genkai. Your parents are both dead and you had a hard life, until the Fifth Hokage assigned Iruka to you. Now years later you managed to live your own life, still being best friends with the brownhaired chunin. Best friends.. but what if there was more?

Walking over the market, with a half filled basket, the brown haired Chunin looked for some vegetables, for his attempt to cook tonight. Ever since Naruto became the hero of this village, he barely got to see him and sitting alone at Ichiraku and eating there.. got quite lonely. He had to admit, that he missed the conversations with the blonde haired one. Sure, there were always other friends, but.. With Naruto he simply had that special bond. Lost in thoughts, something hit his shoulder and someone shriked startled. His face snapped to the person he just accidentally pushed. The familiar face of the (Y/HC) haired Chunin stared at him. His face flushed red, as he realised what just happened, so he bowed directly deepy in front of you.

'S-Sorry! I didn't saw you!', he blurred out.

You blinked one time, before a smile spread on your lips. A reassuring hand reached out and touched his shoulder, sending thousands of sparkling buzzing feelings through his body. He stood straight again, his cheeks still flushed red in embarrassement.

'It's fine, Iruka. I just got a little bit scared, but it's fine. No need to bow.', you said, smiling brightly at him.

Iruka breathed in and out, trying to calm himself, before weakly smiling back. (Y/N) Seiki.. One of the new additions of Team 7 back then.. He remembered how the fifth Hokage transfered him for a short time to Kakashi-sans Team and he remembered how he met you there. Apparently he was in charge of you, since you wanted to become Chunin. You never had the chance to become one, thanks to your abusive clan. You really had suffered enough, so he couldn't be prouder of you, for what you have archived until now. You were such a shy young woman back then, now you still were some sort of shy, but more still way more confident than before. And he started to like you. A lot. Which.. resulted in some.. awkward moments. He often made a fool out of himself, when you were around, but.. your soft laughter and your pleasant smiles mostly were worth his stupid behaviours. You still looked at him, apparently waiting for him to say something. He apparently stood there for a minute or two, all flushed and weird smiling. He coughed shortly and avoided your eyes, looking around and laying a hand in his neck.

'S-Sooo.. You're shopping I guess?', he asked.

You chuckled softly at his behaviour and gave a nod, showing him your shopping basket, which was filled with vegetables and fruits. 

'Yeah, someone asked me if he could come over, so I suggested that I would cook for us. I see you are shopping as well?', you explained, still smiling, before you then gestured towards his basket. 

Iruka's eyes wandered over to you, as you explained that you had a guest tonight. And he? So a male guest.. Something twisted in his guts, thinking about you seeing another man. And it surely put some weight on his mood.. He still gave a small smile, trying to hide his mood. 

'Y-Yeah.. I should start to eat more healthy, you know? I mean.. I am mostly eating out and since I don't see Naruto that often anymore, it makes more sense if I start to cook for myself.', he explained.

'Ah, right. You often went to Ichiraku with him. I remember the times you guys invited me, it was always so much fun. I honestly miss these evenings sometimes. But it is good that you decide to cook for yourself now.', you answered, your smile still in place.

Heavens.. He loved your smile.. Almost getting caught in a dreamly sigh, he laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head slightly.

'I know what you mean, I do miss these evenings too. Maybe one day again, when everyone has time. A-Anyways.. Can I ask you something?', he said, before looking a bit more serious.

You tilted your head slightly to the side at his request.

'You know you don't have to ask. Just ask.', you answered.

Iruka smiled weakly, before it fainted and he looked to the side, scratching his cheek slightly with his index finger. He blushed a bit.

'Y-You're already having plans for the summer festival..?', he then asked.

The (Y/HC) haired woman in front of him looked a bit surprised, but then you smiled warm and shook your head.

'No, actually not. Why.. do you ask?', you answered, before asking, a bit more shy.

You.. had nothing to do? So maybe the male guest tonight was not someone you were seeing? He might still have a chance? Oh yes! Okay Iruka, easy and steady. You can do it!

'Wannagooutwithme?!', he blurred out in one fast and loud shot.

You looked a bit surprised and was taken aback from the sudden loudness in his voice. People around the two of you chuckled silently or walked by watching you both and your cheeks flushed a little bit. Iruka instead had slammed his hand over his mouth, embarrassed by the way he just asked you out, shouting and in probably indistinct words. His own face resembled a tomato by now. How much he wished for some mighty power to let him vanish from this place.. Mortified he looked to the floor, but when he heard a soft chuckle from you and saw your feet shuffle a bit closer, he looked up at you again, only to get poked on the nose from you. A bold move from your side, considering your shyness. 

'Did you asked me to go with you on the summer fest? Because if so, I would gladly join you.', you then said, the soft reddish blush on your cheeks still present. 

It was as if someone started thousands fireworks inside his belly. His face lit up and even though he was still red in the face, his smile was bright and warm. He wouldn't be able to describe the happyness he felt right now.

'Y-You would? Really?', he asked, just to be sure.

You gave a nod on his question, again chuckling at the face he made. Was it.. that hard to believe that you would like to join him? You were both teachers after all, teaching at the same academy and he was a very dear friend to you. After all.. he did so much for you.. You would never be able to repay him for all of this. 

'Yes, really. Do you want to meet there or..?', you confirmed once more, before asking for the details.

'I-I will get you at your house? At.. uh.. at seven?', he asked quickly.

'Sounds good to me.', you said smiling.

'Cool! U-Uhm.. T-Then.. uh.. S-See you then?', he stuttered. 

Again you chuckled, but gave a nod and a small bow, before you both said goodbye to each other. Iruka couldn't believe it. You actually had said yes and Iruka had only one problem left. What.. should he wear..? He could not go in his chunin clothes... could he?

\----

The day of the festival came fast. Whenever you both met in the academy you did talked and you both hanged out a bit, but other than that, there was nothing much. Iruka started to worry, his insecurities starting to grow. Because everytime you two talked, you were talking about a male visitor, who apparently seeked your advice in certain things. He didn't dared to ask, who your male visitor was, but apparently you.. did liked him. Once you even said, how cute he was, when you had asked a quite embarrassing question. Iruka's guts really twisted at that and for a moment he felt a wave of jealously. But.. you did say that you wanted to go with him, so.. why worry? Still. He couldn't shake that feeling off until the summer festival. He had bought himself a quite plain Yukata. He didn't wanted to stand out too much in the crowd, so he thought that a simple dark blue color would fit. But now, on the day of days, he actually felt like, he should have gone with something more.. flashy? Standing in front of his mirrow, he watched himself, turning around and looking if the Yukata was sitting alright. He sighed. It was to late to get another one now.. Also, he doesn't believed that you would judge him about it. You probably even believed, that he appeared in his normal Chunin-uniform.. 

'You gave her quite the impression, buddy..', he sighed, looking his mirror-self into the eyes. 

No wonder that you might.. No. Stop right there, you stupid monkey. Today he was making sure, that you both had fun and maybe he could impress you a bit. Maybe even win over... your heart? Thinking of that made him blush and the Chunin clapped both hands on each cheek in his face. Concentrate! 

'You don't wanna mess that up! Now get going, before you get too late!', he spoke to himself. 

And with shortly grabbing anything necessary, like his keys and stuff, he left his home and took the Shinobi way to your apartment. It took him less than ten minutes to arrive and just when he was about to knock at your door, he heard giggles. Your giggles. And a voice, quite boyish, but certainly male. His heart dropped, he froze in place and stared at the door. Suddenly the door opened.

'Thanks again, Sensei! You helped me a lot!', the boyish voice said.

And then someone ran into him, just to bounce back and fall back into the apartment. Iruka blinked and looked down, just to see you kneeling down to.. Konohamaru?! While you asked if he was fine, Konohamaru held his head, before looking up at Iruka, who still stood there. Confusion on his face. 

'What the hell, Iruka-Sensei?? Why do you linger in front of (Y/N)-Sensei's house??', the boy complained.

You also looked up to him, before turning your head to something and gasping, as you realised the time. You quickly stood up, making Konohamaru wince at the sudden move. 

'Oh god, I am so sorry! I totally lost track of time! P-Please come in, I'll get ready!', you quickly said, before heading to your sleeping room in a quite rushing manner. 

Konohamaru watched you disappear, before he looked back at Iruka. A knowing smile spread on the lips of the boy, devilish teasing. Iruka felt his cheeks heat up.

'So... You are her companion tonight, huh Iruka-Sensei?~', the boy teased.

'A-And you are the mysterious male visitor she had, who asked for advices?', Iruka simply asked back.

Now it was the boys turn to blush and he jumped on his feet. He turned halfway away and crossed his arms.

'T-That is none of your buisness!', the boy countered.

'Well.. Then it's none of yours either~', Iruka said, smiling because he managed to turn the situation around. 

So much for the tease, you little punk. The brownhaired man looked from the boy in front of him, into your appartment. It was not a big one, but from what he saw here, it looked bright and inviting. He also saw a lot of plants and flowers. Typical for you, huh? Not giving up your hobby of gardening~ A small smile appeared on his lips, but fainted when the boy in front of him huffed.

'So.. You gonna tell her?', he asked.

Iruka blinked, confused and taken aback by the sudden question. 

'T-Tell her what?', Iruka asked back.

'That you lik-', the boy wanted to answer but was interrupted by a sudden hand on his mouth.

Iruka had clapped his hand over the mouth of the boy, pressing with the other hand a finger on his lips and telling the boy to shut up. By now, the blush on his face just deepened and reached the tips of his ears. 

'Be quiet, will you?! She can hear you, you moron!', he hissed silently, almost in panic.

Konohamaru reached for the hand over his mouth and pushed it away, looking quite annoyed.

'Well.. if you're not doing it any time soon, she will probably end up with Ebisu-Sensei!', the boy just said.

Iruka froze up, looking at the boy a bit shocked. Ebisu? No.. You wouldn't, would you? On the other hand.. he heard said man was.. quite interested in you.. A more thoughtful look appeared on his face. 

'You know, I asked (Y/N)-Sensei, if she likes you.', Konohamaru suddenly said, making Iruka blush deeply again.

But before the man could complain about this reckless question of the boy, the boy chuckled and grinned widely.

'She answered, that she likes you a lot, that you were the one who saved her from a life in darkness and that she really respects you. I might be not in the position to say that, but for me she looked like she really, reaaaaaally likes you, Sensei. And if you like her, you should tell her!', the boy added.

Iruka looked at the boy, unsure if what he says was true. But.. If it was.. then.. there was nothing to worry about, was there? You liked him.. and he liked you. So.. where was the problem? The festival would be the best opportunity to tell you, what he felt! B-But.. what was the perfect moment to do that?? W-What if he messed up? What if you actually didn't liked him the way he did? The insecurities crawled up inside him. He would only make a fool out of himself again and you would probably just laugh about it again.. 

'Okay, I am finished. We can go if you want.', the sudden voice made the Chunin jump slightly.

As soon as he looked to you, he held his breath and froze up again. He.. surely didn't expected what you would wear for the festival. He worried, that he would look too plain, too boring, but.. apparently you had thought the same about not standing out in the crowd. You wore a plain, light brown Yukata, with leaf patterns on it. Your hair layed open around your shoulders and.. you even wore a tiny bit of make up. Plain or not, but Iruka saw probably the most beautiful person right in front of him. Completly in awe, he stared at you, making you blush.

'I-Is something.. wrong?', you asked shyly.

A small bump of Konohamaru's ellbow into his side and Iruka snapped out of it. He shook his head, the blush creeping back up on his face.

'N-No! Y-You look.. You look great, (Y/N).', he stuttered first, before complimenting you in all sincerity. 

'T-Thank you. Y-you look great too, Iruka-kun.', you said, smiling brightly.

Konohamaru grinned at the two of you, before he stretched and grabbed both yours and Iruka's hands, dragging you along.

'Come on, guys! We will miss the fireworks!', the boy said.

You chuckled at the eagerness of the boy, while Iruka had to smile slightly at his behaviour. But both of you joined the boy and so you three walked together to the festival on the Konoha Street.

\----

Like always the streets were full of all kind of shops. Small games, food stands and stands to buy little trinkets and stuff. Walking next to each other, Iruka loved the sight of the colorful and bright shops. He loved the smell in the air of all that good food around. But what he loved more than any of this, was to watch your eyes wandering around. You looked around like a child seeing magic. He had the faint feeling, that you never really went on festivals thanks to your clan and it kinda darkened his mood. Suddenly you tugged at his sleeve, pointing in a direction of a game stand and looked at him with big (Y/EC) eyes. 

'Can we try this?', you asked him.

Iruka couldn't do anything other but to chuckle, before nodding and following you to said stand. Buying already two kunais for each one of them, you took the first try and aimed for the middle of the disk. When you threw it, it got stuck between the second and third ring and you started to pout a bit. Iruka laughed slightly, before taking the second kunai and taking a moment to aim. Then he threw it and hit the bullseye. 

'Yes!', he cheered out.

You looked in awe, before looking up to Iruka and smiling brightly at him.

'I really should train my aim a bit more, I guess.', you laughed then.

Iruka smiled at you warmly. The man of the game stand then asked, what he would like to have as prize and Iruka looked around between all the stuffed animals and toys. Then he pointed towards a white big teddybear. When the man gave it to him, Iruka turned towards you and offered you the plush. 

'Here, I want you to have it.', he said smiling.

You blinked, then blushed a bit and muttered a thank you, before taking the bear. Carefully your arms wrapped around the soft plush and pressed it gently against your chest. It was so soft.. you could just snuggle into the soft fur of the bear.. You looked up at him, giving him a thankful warm smile. Internally Iruka cheered, he totally nailed it! And he was thankful for that, cause now he was able to see one of your most beautiful smiles he adored so much. Walking further through the festival, you two decided to take a small break and got something to eat and drink. After that, both of you explored further. You decided to buy the Chunin a little luck charm and Iruka promised, that he would keep it always with him. He was actually close to tearing up at your gesture, but thankfully he could hold back his swelling emotions. While walking next to each other, he realised that you started to inch closer, until your hand brushed against his from time to time. The Chunins heart started to beat faster and he blushed slightly, but looking at you from the corner of his eyes, he saw that you were blushing as well. He looked to the other side, thinking if he should just take your hand already. But.. was it too bold? Would you even want to hold hands? Did he read the signs right?? Before he could decide, you got pushed hard to the side, right against him, which caused him to stumble. He had grabbed you and steadied both, you and himself, before looking growling at the person who had just ran against you. His eyes met the cold, grey eyes of the old man Umeboshi, the leader of the Seiki-Clan. He felt how you tensed up instantly, when you had realised who it was. 

'Ungrateful disgrace! Running into me like you intended to! You better apologise in an instant!', the man spat.

You froze, unable to say anything and you just looked at him in total terror and fear, while clinging to the stuffed animal. He was the reason why you had such problems with your clan. He was the reason, why Iruka went so far for you, to get you out of the clan district. To bring you into the light of Konoha's warm sun. To share the Will of Fire with you and to bring you hope. He took a step up, hiding you with his body.

'I don't believe that she did this on purpose. The festival is full of people, its only natural that some people bump into each other from time to time. But apparently you are the only one who seems to complain about that. Maybe you should consider to leave the festival.', Iruka said, his face serious.

'I believe I didn't talked to you! So get out of my way!', the man said angrily. 

Iruka stood his ground, shaking his head slightly, before giving the man a warning look.

'I won't. And you know exactly why. I won't allow you to hurt her anymore, so you better take your leave now, before I make sure that you regret your choice of running into her like this.', Iruka growled, standing protective like a wall in fron of you. 

He felt how a hand of yours had grabbed his sleeve, to tug him gently away. He felt the worried look of yours in his neck. He felt the terror radiating from you, the fear. Iruka lifted his arm a bit and took your hand into his own, giving yours a small, reassuring press. Umeboshi on the other hand was red in the face. Probably from all the rage. But good for him that he wasn't as stupid as he looked like. The man huffed, mumbling something about that this wasn't over yet and started to walk away. Iruka was taking a moment to make sure, that he really disappeared, before turning to you. He saw that you were trembling in fear and you seemed close to a small panic attack. This man really did a number on you.. And he got away with it.. For gods sake, if Iruka ever saw this man doing anything to you ever again.. Sighing and trying to calm his own rage over Umeboshi, he dragged you against his body and embraced you in a hug. 

'Don't worry, I'll make sure that he will never ever do anything to you again. I promise okay?', he whispered.

You were completely tense. For once, because of Umeboshi's appearance and second, because the sudden hug from Iruka. But hearing him, feeling his body, feeling his warmth sinking into your skin and smelling his sweet scent.. You relaxed and slightly leaned into his body, calming down with every second that passed by. You felt safe. Safe and secure in his arms. 

'Thank you, Iruka-kun.. Honestly.. thank you..', you whispered back.

After a moment, he took your hand into his own and started to walk with you. His goal was a place up on the hokage mountain. It was easy to climb the rocks and boulders and when you two finally made it up on the face of the Third, he signed you to sit down with him. He still felt the rage boiling inside of him, but he pushed it away for your sake. You still weren't fully back to normal. It always took a while, when you were confronted with your clan.. There you sat, clinging to the plushed teddybear, still looking slightly pale. He looked over the village, a very pretty sight from this place. Seeing all the lights and bright colors.. He sighed silently, before looking back to you.

'Hey, (Y/N)?', he started.

You gave a small hum, your eyes fixed on the colorful lights and pressing the stuffed animal against your chest. Iruka didn't took his eyes from you, the lights of the festival suddenly fading. He just looked at you, your beautiful face.. The village was by now in complete darkness, when the faint sound of rockets filled the air. And with a loud explosion, the first firework rocket went of in many beautiful colors, lightening up the sky and the village below. 

'..you are so beautiful..', he whispered.

You tensed up a bit, your head turning to him, a look of confusion on your face. You weren't sure if you had heard him right. But something in his eyes made your heart flutter in excitement. His warm eyes were fixed on you, which made you blush slightly. The next rocket went off, again coloring everything in sky and on earth. Iruka inched closer, slowly but steady. 

'..I have to confess something..', he said, a little bit above a whisper, to make sure you had heard it.

Now was the time. Now was simply the perfect moment. He had to tell you now, or he would never get another chance! You blushed even more, suddenly shaking your head harshly.

'N-No! Please Iruka! Y-You can't.. I'm not.. Please don't say it..', you said almost desperate, not sure how to build a correct sentence. 

Iruka looked now confused. Did.. you just.. refused his.. confession?.. Staring at him in cold shock, you scrambled to your knees, before bowing down, your head pressed against the cold stone.

'I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I am sure that there are many other woman out there, who are way better for you. I don't want to bother you anymore with my problems or with anything that involves my clan.', you excused.

The Chunin suddenly understood. You didn't refused his confession.. You refused yourself. You thought, you weren't good enough for him, that you were a bother to him, that you would cause him so many problems. You.. just wanted him to be happy, save and sound.. Sighing, he made you straighten up again, his hands on your shoulders. He smiled softly at you.

'(Y/N).. I am already involved in your problems with your clan. And I am sure there is no one better than you. No other woman out there is as beautiful in personality than you are. You would never bother me with your problems and I would never think of you as a inconvenience. (Y/N).. I really care for you and you are very dear to me. Ever since you became Chunin and a teacher at the academy I started to like you more and more every day.', he said gently. 

The firework was still going on and the colors from it showed on both of your faces, hiding the deep blush you both shared. You were tearing up and Iruka almost panicked a bit, cause he surely didn't want to make you cry. A bit lost of words, he stuttered, but was interrupted by the sudden jump you did on him. Your arms wrapped around his neck, pressing yourself against him so much, that he blushed hard when he felt your chest against his own through the thin clothes. Then he heard a small sob and he wrapped his arms around you, gently and slow. Holding you against his body, keeping you from any harm, protective and safe.. 

'I love you, (Y/N).. I will always love you and always protect you.. I promise you.', he whispered.

He felt how your body tensed slightly at his words, before you released yourself from the hug to look at him. There were small tears running down your face and Iruka lifted a hand to wipe them away. He smiled warm and gently at you. Feeling miserably for crying like this and feeling even worse for making his confession into a drama, you muttered an apology. Iruka chuckled softly and shaked his head a bit, signing you that it was okay. Then he leaned in, closing the distance and softly laying his lips on yours, careful first, but then putting a tiny bit more pressure in it. You closed your eyes, adjusting your head a bit for giving him more space, before kissing back in a more shy manner. The last rockets were launched into the sky, filling it with all kind of colors. The kiss wasn't long due to the missing air in your lungs and you two broke it shortly after. Iruka gave you a loving look and a warm smile, causing you to hide your face in his shoulder, which made him laugh a bit. He held you in his arms, adjusting his sitting position a bit to be more comfortable, while he watched the last few colorful explosions. 

'...I love you too.. Iruka-kun..', he heard you whispering. 

He smiled. Bright and wide. This moment.. it couldn't be more perfect... He couldn't be more happier.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it wasn't too cringy and you guys enjoyed reading this..  
> Kudos, comments and stuff are welcome~
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader Varguk <3 <3 <3


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